The Combat Information Center of the Normandy SR-2 (Cerberus configuration; I haven't played ME3) appears, despite having oceans of empty space, to also have more crew stations than it could reasonably use. Here's a diagram:

Squinting in more detail, there are

• Twelve stations around the galaxy map and Normandy hologram (including Shepard's personal terminal; and Yeoman Chambers' station)
• Ten stations on the perimeter of the CIC proper
• Eight stations in the corridor between the cockpit and CIC
• Four stations in the cockpit (including the pilot's seat, almost always occupied by Joker)

That makes thirty-four crew stations.

EDI can, depending on dialogue choices, observe during the opening of Grunt's tank that the ship has "twenty-four permanent crew". There are thirteen possible squadmates. Depending on ambiguities about which squadmates qualify as crew members (namely Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob), the permanent crew plus all squadmates is between thirty-four and thirty-seven people. The CIC can only be fully staffed by reducing the rest of the ship to a skeleton crew at best, or completely empty at worst.

This doesn't seem a particularly logical design choice. What factors would lead Cerberus ship designers to considerably oversize the CIC compared to the crew complement?

The Combat Information Center of the Normandy SR-2 (Cerberus configuration; I haven't played ME3) appears, despite having oceans of empty space, to also have more crew stations than it could reasonably use. Here's a diagram:

Squinting in more detail, there are

• Twelve stations around the galaxy map and Normandy hologram (including Shepard's personal terminal; and Yeoman Chambers' station)
• Ten stations on the perimeter of the CIC proper
• Eight stations in the corridor between the cockpit and CIC
• Four stations in the cockpit (including the pilot's seat, almost always occupied by Joker)

That makes thirty-four crew stations.

EDI can, depending on dialogue choices, observe during discussion prior to the opening of Grunt's tank that the ship has "twenty-four permanent crew" (video @ 12m 35s). There are thirteen possible squadmates (wiki). Depending on ambiguities about which squadmates qualify as crew members (namely Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob), the permanent crew plus all squadmates is between thirty-four and thirty-seven people. The CIC can only be fully staffed by reducing the rest of the ship to a skeleton crew at best, or completely empty at worst.

This doesn't seem a particularly logical design choice. What factors would lead Cerberus ship designers to considerably oversize the CIC compared to the crew complement?